Thill-coupling.



- PATENTED DEC, 1, 1903. C. F. GOFORTH. THILL COUPLING. APPLICATIONFILED SEPT. a. 1902. RENEWED NOV. 5, 1903.

H0 MODEL.

" UNITED STATES fatented December 1, 1903.

CHARLES FRANKLIN GOFORTH, OF WIGHITA, KANSAS.

THlLL-COU'PLlNG.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 745,596, dated December1, 1903.

Application filed September 9,1902. Renewed November 5, 1903. Serial No.179.998. (No model.)

n) all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, CHARLES FRANKLIN GOFOR'TH, a citizen of the UnitedStates, re-

siding at Wichita, in the county of Sedgwick and State of Kansas, haveinvented a new and useful Thill-Coupling, of which the followin g is aspecification.

The invention relates to improvements in thill-couplin gs.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction ofcouplings for thills and poles and to provide a simple, inexpensive, andefficient one adapted to be secured to an axle by clips of the ordinaryconstruction and capable of enabling a pole or a pair of thills to bereadily connected to and removed from a vehicle.

A further object of the invention is to provide a coupling of thischaracter adapted to prevent noise and rattling and capable of readyadjustment to take up Wear of the bearings Without necessitating theremoval of the clip-plate from the axle.

The invention consists in the construction and novel combination andarrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in, theaccompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a couplingconstructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a transversesectional View on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a similar view onthe line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is adetail view of the bearing-roller.Fig. 5 is a similar view of the coupling-iron. Figs. 6 and7 aredetailviews of the sections or members of the clip-plate, illustratingthe arrangement of the ears.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all thefigures of the drawings.

1 1 designate sections or members of aclipplate, and these sections ormembers, which are fitted together one upon the other, as illustratedinFig. 1 of the drawings, are provided with transverse slots 2 for thereception of an axle-clip 3 of the ordinary contending ears 6, arrangedat the outer edges of the plates or sections, and provided at theirinner faces with conical bearing-recesses 7, adapted to receive a roller8, which is provided with tapered or conical end portions to fit theconical bearing-recesses 7. are provided with notches or recesses 9, andthe roller 8 is provided with a longitudinal groove 10, adapted toregister with the notches to permit a head 11 of a couplingiron 12 to beintroduced into and removed from the groove. The conical bearing-rolleris rotated rearwardly from the position shown in Fig. 1 to carry thegroove backward to the notches or recesses 9, and the thill or tongue towhich the coupling iron is connected must be swung upward and backwardto bring the parts in such position, and it will be appar out that itnever can assume such position when the vehicle is in use. The head '11forms an approximately T-shaped coupling? iron, and the sides of thehead are inclined to conform to the configuration of the conical ends ofthe bearing-roller and to fit the bearing-faces 0f the recesses 7. Theparts are eifectually prevented from rattling by means of a spring 13,centrally secured by a screw 14: or other suitable fastening device atthe bottom of the bearing-roller 8 and The ears havingits ends extendedupward and engaging the lower face of. the head, whereby the inclinededges or faces of the same will be held firmly against the bearing-facesof the conical recesses. The head in practice will be manufactured witha shank, and when the device is to be applied to vehicles in use theeyes of the ordinary thill-irons will be cut OE and the heads welded tothe irons. By these means the device may be readily applied to anyordinary vehicle.

In order to take up all wear of the parts, an adjusting screw 15 isemployed, and this screw, which is located below and in rear of thebearing-roller, is provided with right and left hand screw-threads forengaging correspondingly-threaded openings 16 and 17 of the ears. withan extension forming a head 18, which is adapted to be engaged by asuitable wrench, and the head is spaced from the adjacent threadedportion of the screw by'a smooth portion 19. The screw may be con- Thescrew is provided at one end structed in any other desired manner, andthe threads at one end are of less diameter than the threads at theother end to enable the parts to be readily assembled. In assembling theparts one of the cars is arranged on the screw and carried to the smoothouter portion 19 at the outer end of one of the threaded portions. Theother car is then placed at the outer end of the other threaded portion.The screw is then adapted to be rotated to draw the ears inward on thethreaded portions, and the parts are readily assembled.

Instead of welding the head 11 to the thilliron an old coupling or thilliron after having the eye removed may be drawn out and shaped into ahead, thereby obviating welding the parts together. The slots 2 mayextend entirely to one side or edge of each section or overlappedportion to facilitate separating and assembling the parts, and thespring which engages the thill or coupling iron and which forces thesame upward and outward against the bearings of the ears is adapted toautomatically throw the coupling or thill iron upward or outward throughthe notches 9 as soon as the groove is brought into register with thesaid notches, thereby greatly facilitating the operation of separatingor disconnecting the thills or tongue from a vehicle.

It will be seen that the coupling is exceedingly simple and inexpensivein construction, that it is adapted to be readily applied to a vehicle,and that it is capable of enabling a pair of thills or a pole to bereadily connected to and removed from a vehicle. It will also beapparent that the spring, which is housed within the roller, is adaptedto hold the same and the tapered head of the coupling-iron firmlyagainst the walls of the conical bearing sockets or recesses to form anantirattler and that the overlapped sections or members are capable ofadjustment to take up wear of the bearing-roller. It will also be clearthat the cone-bearings are practically dust-proof and will notaccumulate dust.

What I claim is- 1. A device of the class described comprising theoppositely-disposed ears having conical bearing-sockets, abearing-roller provided with tapered or conical ends fitting in thebearing-sockets, said roller being provided with a longitudinal groove,a coupling-iron having a head arranged in the groove and provided withtapered ends conforming to the configuration of the ends of the roller,and a fiat spring extending longitudinally of the groove and arranged atthe bottom thereof and engaging the head and holding the same and theroller against the walls of the bearing-sockets, substantially asdescribed.

2. A device of the class described comprising outwardly-disposed earshaving conical bearing-sockets and provided at their upper portions withnotches communicating with the sockets, a bearing-roller having conicalends and provided with a longitudinal groove and fitting in the sockets,a coupling-iron having a tapered head adapted to be introduced into thegroove through the said notches, and a flat spring centrally secured tothe roller at the bottom of the groove and having free end portionsengaging the head and holding the same against the walls of thebearing-sockets, substantially as described.

3. A device of the class described comprising a pair of ears havingconical bearingsockets and provided with perforations having right andleft hand threads, a roller having conical ends to fit the sockets andprovided with a longitudinal groove, acouplingiron having a headarranged in the groove and tapered at its ends to conform to theconfiguration of the ends of the roller, and a screw having right andleft hand threads engaging the threads of the ears, said screw beingalso provided with a smooth extension and having a head at the outer endthereof,

substantially as described.

4. A device of the class described comprising two sections or membershaving slotted overlapped portions and provided with ears having conicalbearings and provided with notches, a bearing-roller provided with alongitudinal groove and having tapered ends, a coupling-iron having atapered head arranged in the groove of the roller, a fiat spring mountedwithin the said groove and engaging the head, and a screw having rightand left hand threads and connectingthe ears, substantially asdescribed.

5. A thill-coupling comprising a pair of ears eachhaving its inner facerecessed, a roller journaled for rotation between the ears with its endsseated in the recesses, said roller having a longitudinal slot, athill-iron having a head seated in the slot and engaging the marginalwalls of the recesses, and a spring disposed in the slot beneath thehead.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aflixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES FRANKLIN GOFO R'll-I.

Witnesses:

W. A. STIPPIOH, O. E. LONGTON.

IIO

